Leeds United 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 2: YEP jury verdict

Another dreary Saturday afternoon at Elland Road. The supporters didn’t seem up for it and neither did the players, whatever Uwe Rosler said after the game.

Perhaps part of the reason for the lethargy came from the shock announcement (as far as a stupid decision at Elland Road can be called a shock these days) that the answer to Sky TV toying with our fixture list is to reduce away allocations and make sure more fans are sat at home watching.

Man of the match Lewis Cook.

Only at Leeds United could it happen that the fans who attend home and away, every week, are the enemy.

United are a huge draw for the TV cameras because ratings are higher than for any other Football League club.

A far more productive campaign would be to ask our fellow fans to join the cause, switch off their TVs, cancel their subscriptions and spend the saving on the odd match ticket.

That would bring ratings down, attendances up and make us a far less appealling pick for TV.

If Massimo Cellino’s logic is that we are losing out on money at the moment, he should be a leader and join the other Football League clubs in lobbying the League and demanding proper recompense for televised games.

Then maybe, just maybe, he could pass that extra income on to the fans in the form of cheaper tickets for games at inconvenient times. For many of us, forced to watch lame performances like the one on Saturday week in week out, the camaraderie and atmosphere surrounding an away day is our only reward for loyalty.

The club’s decision to snatch it away from thousands of fans is ludicrous. Bravo Leeds United. On the pitch, Cooper, Cook and Botaka were our positives.

At one point we had two right-backs on the field, but neither of them playing right-back, and Uwe Rosler is fooling nobody with his constant assertion that Wootton is a better player than Byram.

Fulham is crucial. I and the rest of us on this page will, of course, be there.

Brighton continued Leeds’ home woes as the run of games without a win reached a record 11 games.

Although Leeds were bright in spells the Championship table doesn’t tell lies.

Uwe Rosler made changes to the team so heavily criticised in the defeat by Birmingham City and Leeds started brightly with Botaka in the thick of the action but Stockdale wasn’t tested.

At 1-1 Leeds continued to have the upper hand but still without causing Stockdale many problems.

Late in the game Antenucci made his usual appearance off the bench as Leeds went for the three points.

But, surprisingly, Botaka – a tormentor of the Seagulls’ defence – was replaced by Byram.

Leeds went down to 10 men when Cooper went off injured and with time nearly up, a Brighton through-ball found veteran Zamora, who beat Silvesti with a chipped effort.

A real kick in the teeth for Leeds.

I have to question why Rosler brought off Botaka and also his post-match comment that Wootton is our best defender.

The pressure certainly is on the head coach.

At this rate another battle against relegation looms large.

Owner, Massimo Cellino’s finger must be twitching.

Man of the match: Jordan Botaka.

KEITH INGHAM

It’s said you’re better to be a lucky manager than a good one. Uwe Rösler would probably agree; I think he’d take a bit more luck. This wasn’t the worst display from a Rösler side but it still had most of the faults we have seen before.

Man of the match: Liam Cooper.

DAVID WATKINS

On the back of creating unwanted history by now going a club record 11 home games without a win, it would be easy to say it was “groundhog day” once again at Elland Road.

However, despite the customary early defensive lapse the Whites more than matched the unbeaten league leaders and at least deserved a draw and could easily have won.

Lewis Cook and Jordan Botaka had excellent games, but it was a strange decision by coach Uwe Rosler to substitute the latter as it back-fired, changing the whole momentum just as United were making a push for a winner. A late injury to Liam Cooper was followed by a sting in the tail – the Seagulls more like Magpies as they stole three points.

Man of the match: Lewis Cook.

GARY NEWBOULD

I felt sorry for our players after the game on Saturday; we didn’t deserve to lose but that is what happens when you don’t take your chances. In the second half we played poorly but I thought we still edged it for the majority. Encouraging signs.

Man of the match: Lewis Cook.

JAMES HARRISON

Despite an encouraging attempt to be a little more aggressive at home, Leeds United capitulated to yet another Elland Road defeat on Saturday to the League leaders.

How Brighton sit at the top of the Championship is a mystery, however, as they showed none of the qualities one would expect from a side riding high in the League, except for the ability to take a chance.

And that was the difference between the two sides with Bobby Zamora’s winning goal as sublime as Chris Wood’s first-half miss was ridiculous.

Leeds were the better side but in a league with wafer-thin margins, Uwe Rosler needs to improve his team’s efforts in front of goal to prevent the season slipping away.